Shoe-lace hanger



R. M. KEMPF.

SHOE LACE HANGER.

4 APPLICATION mm NOV. 26, 1919.

Patented July 20, 1920.

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I Wilma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROMAN M. KEMPF, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SHOE-LACE HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20,1920.

Application filed November 26, 1919. Serial No. 340,872.

, lumbus, in the county ofFranklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Lace Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved hanger for eflecting the support of shoe laces, and embodies means whereby a relatively large number of such laces may be securely retained within the hanger against accidental displacement, and to provide resilient means in connection with said hanger for placing pressure upon said laces so that said pressure will be constantly exercised upon the laces remainingin the hanger even after a large number thereof have been withdrawn.

The invention accordingly consistsin a lace holding and dispensing hanger. which may be efiicaciously employed in shoe factories or other similar establishments wherein large quantities of such laces are being handled, the invention providing means whereby such laces may be maintained in an orderly and conveniently arranged manner to that the same will be readily available for utilization and wherein but a minimum of time willbe lost in effecting a proper selection of shoe laces for varying needs.

The invention further consists in the provision of a shoe lace hanger embodying an open sided casing in which is resiliently mounted a pressure plate, springs being mounted between said plate and the upper portion of said casing, whereby said plate will be normally forced in a downward direction toapply pressure upon shoe laces, or other similar devices, confined between the plate and the bottom of the casing, said plate being automaticallyforced in a downward direction upon the withdrawal of laces from the casing by responding tothe' action of said springs sothat the shoe laces remaining in said casing, regardless of their number, will be firmly retained against accidental displacement so that their accessibility and orderly arrangement will be continuously effected.

A further object of the invention resides in providing means for effecting the support of said casing, and to connect said means with said pressure plate, in order that said means may be utilized in withdrawing the pressure plate and its cooperating spring structure from the casing refilling the latter.

A still further object resides in securely retaining the pressure plate in its operative for the purpose of position within said casing and to prevent undue slippage of the same from such operative position, said means operating, how" ever, to permit of free vertical movement on the part of said pressure plate.

The invention further consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which similar characters ofreference denote like and corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof; 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved lace holding bracket comprising the preferred form of the present invention, the pressure plate being shown in spaced relation from the bottom of the casing so as to be in a position to permit of the insertion of laces into the bracket, 3

i Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view the plane of which being disclosed by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing a plurality of strings or laces in applied position within the hanger.

Referring more particularly to'the structural details of the invention, use is made of a'shoe lace supporting hanger which is designated in its entirety by the numeral 1.

This hanger preferably consists of an open sided casing B, which is formed ordinarily from'thin sheet metal and is constructed to embody parallel end walls 2 and connecting top and bottom walls 3 and 4 respectively. The'marginal portions of the walls 2 and 4 are curved, as indicated at 5, so that sharp edges in the han er will be eliminated, in

displaced by forwardly directed pressures. Spaced from theplate 6 and normally disposed in engagement with the under side of the top wall 3 is a horizontally extending bearing plate 8, said latter plate being normally disposed between the downwardly turnedflanged edges 9 of said top wall. Obviously,

through the medium of the edges 9, undue horizontal movement on the part-of the-bearing plate will be precluded. The plates 6 and 8 are provided with stamped out eye portions 10 which are adapted to receive the extremities of a pair of coiled springs 11,

7 structure. To accomplish such removal, the

hook is forced downwardly against the tension'ofthe springs 11. This lowers thebearin'g plate 8 to a position independent of the flanged edges 9. Then, by sliding the hook .laterally bothr of said plates maybe convenientlyfreed from their operative positions within said casing. 7

In operation, a suitable quantity of shoe laces, such forexample as. shown "in Fig. 3, are positioned within the hanger between v the bottom Wall 4L thereof and the pressure plate 6. These laces vare so positioned that their longer extremity'lt will hang downwardly from the forward side of the casing, and the shorter extremities 15 of said laces will depend from the rear side of the casing.

lVhen-in this position 'thesprings 11 will .be under tension, so that suflicient pressure will be exercised upon said laces to securely retalnthe same 1n the manner described. To remove one or'more of the laces, the

longer; extremity lt of one of the same is v grasped andpulled downwardly so as to cffeet the extraction of the lace against the pressure exercised thereon by the plate 6. It

7 will be understood that by pulling the laces forwardly, the location of the plates 6 and V S will be maintained; owing to the fact that the tOIl' 1l67 of the plate 6 serves to prevent forward movement of the pressure plate, and also this feature is enhanced by the engagement of the shank of a hook with the inner end of the slot 13. From this construction it follows that even after a relatively large number of the laces have been removed from the hanger the tension onthe remaining laces will still be constant and accidental displacement thereofprevented. As is set forth, the hook 12 serves in a dual capacity, first in supporting the hanger as a whole, and sec-. ondly in providing convenient means for removing the resilient pressure applying structure. Also, the parts of the hanger'are so correlatedthat the operative positionsof said plates will be. maintained against the lateral pressure set up by the removal of the laces." The construction described is particularly useful in retaining such laces in an orderlyand well arranged manner and in shoe factories it is particularly useful for those engaged in the task of lacing shoes.

I Iclaimr} w 1.- 'A hanger for holding shoe laces comprising an open sided casing, a clamping plate slidably mounted between the end walls of said Icasing a bearing'plate arranged in the top o f'said casing, spring means situated between said bearing and clam-ping plates and serving to force the bearing plate into engagement with the top. of the casing \and'the clamping 'platetoward the bottom of the casing, and ahanger sirpporting member connected with said bear ing plate.

.2, A..bra,cket for holding shoelacescomprising a rectangular caslng a 'horlzontally situated clamping plate: slidably mountedwithin said casing betweenthe end walls thereof, a bearingplate removably' mounted in the top of'said casing, coil springs situ- 1 ated between said bearlng plate and said clamping plate andnormally serving to force the latter towardthe bottom of said casing, and-ahook member-rigidly carried by said bearing plate and adaptedv to occupy a slot formedin the top-of said casing, said hook member permitting of the withdrawal of said plates from said casing. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- fROMilNlMKEM-PE' 

